Side-passing

I've recently been working with Ruby on side-passing, from the ground. She was trained that when you give her leg (even just one), it means to shoot forward. So I'm retraining her in that aspect. She moves without hesitation from my hand when I ask her to move away, but she doesn't always cross her feet over. Sometimes she 'shuffles' over. Is that a problem or will she learn to cross her legs over? I haven't even been working with her on this for a week, and she's already doing wonders. I know it takes time and I have plenty of time to work with her on but I was wondering if anyone ran into obstables with the horse not crossing over. I always praise her when she crosses over and I keep asking her to move away until she crosses over when she isn't.

Thanks!

Are you asking her forwards at the same time as asking her to yeild?

Or are you asking her to walk straight sideways, you might find it helps if you walk her forwards and across

No. I don't want to teach her the half-pass yet. I just want to work on side-passing. I don't want her to move forward at all yet.

Ok.. I'm talking about a simple leg yeild, not half pass but anyway..

Just remember it takes time to build the lateral muscles down the side of the horses body so take the easy way first. If I was you I would be walking her forwards across forwards across forwards across.
And if your aim is to not have her moving forwards, then slowly minimise the amount you ask her forwards

Forwards is easier than sideways, and you want to make learning as easy as possible for her

So I should be asking her to move sideways and then ask her for a few steps forward and repeat?

Something like like..just remember..
If your standing still and go to walk sideways, its much easier to shuffle across to stay straight than it is to cross your legs over..

Ask her to move in a diagonal line keeping her body straight forwards/across at the same time. Then as she gets better at this slowly break it down

Make sense?

Have you tried asking when she's facing a fence so that she can't move forward?

Last night when I worked with her on it I had her move forward diagonally so she was still crossing her legs over but was also moving forward at the same time.

I have her butt to the fence so she wouldn't back up but that really isn't the problem. Lol. I might turn her around and see how she does.

Val, have you got all her body parts separated yet? You should have independent control over her shoulders, middle, and haunches before you can expect her to sidepass.
In other words, she should be supple and loose over her topline, understand all the rein aids, and grasp the concept of turns on the forehand and turns on the haunches.

No...I don't. But I'm not working her undersaddle yet, just on the ground. Jeeze..there's so much I need to work on with this horse. :roll: lol. I'm doing this mainly for the benefit that she will move away from leg pressure. She was taught to move forward, not away.